In the wake of the failed Operation Sindoor and the still-unresolved Pahalgam attack, India has once again resorted to a familiar and deeply troubling playbook – staged encounters, coerced narratives and misinformation – under the guise of a new military campaign: Operation Mahadev. For those in Pakistan, this is neither surprising nor unprecedented. But it is a reminder that the cost of political survival in Narendra Modi’s India may well be paid in Kashmiri blood. On Monday, three Kashmiri youths were martyred in what local media and eyewitnesses are calling a fake encounter in Srinagar's Dachigam area. The so-called 'cordon and search' operation is just the latest in a long pattern of extrajudicial killings and fabricated anti-terror narratives. The fact that Operation Mahadev is unfolding in the same areas that saw the controversial and opaque aftermath of Operation Sindoor strongly suggests a strategic diversion, meant to paper over prior military and intelligence failures.
The reality is that the Modi government’s credibility has taken a significant hit in recent months. Indian officials have hailed Operation Sindoor as a surgical, non-escalatory operation that 'achieved all objectives'. But opposition leaders in India have openly questioned that narrative. Instead of answers, the Indian government has launched Operation Mahadev. If the Mahadev details are accurate, it would be a gross violation of international law. It would also highlight the Modi regime’s willingness to manufacture conflict to revive its sagging political fortunes. Indian opposition figures like Priyanka Gandhi and Gaurav Gogoi have echoed these concerns, raising pointed questions about Modi’s absence from both the conflict zone and parliament, and the silence surrounding India’s own casualties and military setbacks. Even the boastful claims by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh – that over 100 militants were killed in just 22 minutes – remain unverified. This fog of half-truths and hyperbole only deepens suspicion. Pakistan, for its part, has repeatedly offered to cooperate in independent investigations and has extended an olive branch in the form of diplomacy and transparency. But the Modi government’s refusal to accept such offers is telling. It seems India would rather cling to a convenient scapegoat than admit to internal failure.
US President Donald Trump has continued to publicly claim to have played a mediating role in brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan following their brief military standoff. While India denies this, its reluctance to confront Trump’s assertions suggests unease, perhaps even embarrassment, about the true nature of the ceasefire agreement. As Priyanka Gandhi too has pointed out, Indian officials have yet to categorically refute US involvement. Ultimately, the greatest tragedy in all of this is the human cost. Kashmiri civilians continue to be caught in the crossfire of India's militarised politics. Each 'operation', whether Sindoor or Mahadev, becomes a theatre of death, designed not to defeat terrorism but to distract from governance failures, fuel nationalist fervour and suppress the freedom movement in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The international community must not turn a blind eye to the Modi regime’s disinformation tactics and human rights abuses. The people of Kashmir deserve dignity. Peace in South Asia cannot be achieved through fake encounters, forced confessions and political spectacle. India must decide whether it wants to be remembered as a democracy or a state of staged battles and silenced voices.
